Neuroblastoma

Cancer Research UK scientists and paediatric cancer specialists have launched the BEACON-neuroblastoma trial, which aims to find the best chemotherapy regimen for children and young adults with recurring or resistant neuroblastoma. Researchers will also investigate whether blocking the growth of new blood vessels supplying the tumours can enhance this treatment.

Beta-blockers, normally used for high blood pressure, could enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapies in treating neuroblastoma, a type of children’s cancer, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Spotting childhood cancer early has a huge impact on how effectively that cancer can be treated – we cover the important signs for parents to watch out for.

An estimated 33,000 long-term survivors of childhood cancer – the vast majority of whom are cured – will be living in the UK by the end of 2012.

At least 5,600 more children have survived for at least five years after being diagnosed with cancer than would have done if survival rates had remained as they were in the early 1970s, according to new statistics from Cancer Research UK.

Children given a hormone growth factor alongside chemotherapy for the aggressive cancer neuroblastoma are less likely to suffer a potentially deadly side-effect, according to a major international study published today (Tuesday) in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Cancer in children is not common. And although this is something to be thankful for, it can make things a…

CHILDREN in the UK with a high risk form of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma are set to benefit from a new international clinical trial ї funded by Cancer Research UK – which uses immunotherapy to help prevent the disease from coming back.

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists at the University of Southampton have developed a potential new antibody treatment which, in the laboratory, shows significantly increased survival from neuroblastoma – a form of childhood cancer which grows from undeveloped tissue of the nervous system. It is hoped that it could one day be used to treat children with the disease. Their findings will be presented at the NCRI Cancer Conference in Birmingham.

More accurate disease classification now means some young children with neuroblastoma will have less intensive treatment with better survival, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology*.